Once Upon A Time In DT's Auto Shop
by EliTo18
Summary: Letty Ortiz hasn't step foot inside a garage in almost a decade. But when she has no choice but to do so, she goes down memory lane and remembers the days she used to practically live at one with Mia, the boys, and...oh, that's right, Dominic Toretto.


**Hello my beautiful readers! Happy 2018! (I know, I know, all late about it! Lol) It has been a minute since I've posted anything due to work and other small personal matters but I am back with another one-shot. This one-shot hasn't left me alone for the past 6 months or so, asking me to get it done and out of my head on a daily basis! Hehe! ;) So enjoy!**

 **-Eli**

 **Once Upon A Time In DT's Auto Shop**

Letty couldn't remember the last time she had stepped foot into a garage. It had to have been years, maybe even a decade, since she'd last been inside of one. As the GPS announced, 'arrived at destination,' Letty and Owen got out of the car and walked towards the auto shop that was recommended by the receptionist at the hotel they were staying at. She trails behind him for a bit and stares up at the building as memories of the days she once used to eat, sleep, and live at a garage were being triggered. Days at " **D.T.'s Auto Shop** _ **"**_ to be exact.

 _Memories of the boys, Mia, and herself, working the long, hot, sweaty days away._

 _Laughter bouncing off the walls as stories and jokes were told._

 _Arguments being held in the middle of work that, more often than not, resulted into play fights._

 _Life decisions being made while siting on the roof of the place._

 _The office doubling as an area where the crew got disciplined and lectured by Lorenzo, Dom and Mia's dad._

 _The garage providing a safe zone for tear stained faces to cry over heartbreaks and heartaches._

 _Celebrations and accomplishments being announced in the driveway of the shop while cheers and 'congratulations' were being said._

 _The garage being the place, along with the Toretto residence, where family meant everything and at the end of the day nothing else mattered._

As Letty made her way into the suggested shop, she smiled to herself as she remembered all the good, bad, ugly, and beautiful times she had spent with the crew in that small garage. But the one memory she couldn't shake off, the one memory she tried to suppress not just in that moment but also for the past 10 years, was the memory of 'D.T's Auto Shop' playing a big role in her relationship with Dominic Toretto. It was where it all began for them.

 _Meeting each other for the first time at the age of 9 and 12._

 _Going from neighbors, to coworkers, to best friends._

 _Purposely having late nights (to spend more time together) that consisted of deep conversations and playfulness going into the wee hours of the day._

 _Subtle flirting blossoming during work hours and both clearly oblivious to when their relationship had taken a turn._

 _Questioning themselves for hours during work or on the roof of when they had stopped seeing the other as just a friend._

 _The garage being the one place they couldn't avoid each other when they both came to the realization they had fallen hard for one another._

 _And finally, when they were both tired of the awkward encounters and conversations, not knowing what was going on between the two, and it being evident that neither one was willing to step up and talk about what they were really doing, the office in the garage was the area that held their screaming match for hours on the subject of whether or not there was something going on between the two. It was in the middle of Letty's sentence (or monologue) that Dom cut her off and kissed her for the first time. When their lips parted it was then that Dom asked her for a shot at a relationship, a chance to see what they could be._

God, what their relationship came to be. It was everything.

And yet, it was nothing. Their 6-year relationship ended where it all began, in that _dam_ garage.

' _Six. Fucking. Years.'_ Letty thought to herself.

Letty shook her head and made her way over to Owen who was engrossed in conversation with an older man, clearly not noticing the absence of Letty while she went down memory lane. As she looked at Owen, Letty couldn't help but smirk because that was Owen for you, always interested in everything and always willing to learn when the opportunity presented itself. Given the fact that Owen knew very little about cars, besides the few things Letty had taught him over the years, he was all ears in the conversation and occasionally all mouth since he couldn't resist to ask questions.

She greeted the older man with a head nod and stood quietly next to Owen, allowing the men to converse away while she took the opportunity to take in the garage. The smell of oil mixed with other fumes in the air, tool boxes spread everywhere, loud machines being put to work, rows of cars taking up most of the space in the garage, gosh did she miss having this be part of her everyday life.

After her breakup with Dom, Letty left Los Angeles and zoomed to New York where some of her dad's family resided. She needed a break and decided that visiting NY for a couple of days was the best thing for her. But soon those days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and before she knew it New York was her life. She even decided to go to college and got a degree in Business and Marketing, leading her to getting a job with **'Shaw Brothers'** , an on the rise car company. That's how she met Owen, the son of one of the owners.

Owen didn't know anything about cars when Letty had first met him but man did he know how to help run the company. He was good at what he did-running the business side of things and knowing how best to promote and grow the company. He had offered to take Letty under his wing and show her the ropes of the company by teaching her everything she needed to learn and know. This led them to become fast friends and as the years went on they had become quite the team.

Letty was happy. Getting to work for a fast growing company on the East coast kept her busy and on her toes. It gave her a thrill that she couldn't describe. She loved her job. But every now and then she found herself missing the part of her life that revolved around working directly with cars and their engines and getting covered in grease and oil. She missed it, a lot, even though it did feel like a lifetime ago.

"Babe!" Owen said, interrupting Letty's thoughts and bringing her back to reality. "You were spot on what was wrong with the car. He practically repeated everything you told me on the way here." It never failed to amaze Owen how omniscient Letty was when it came to cars.

"Smart girl you got there." The older man added, smiling at Letty. "Why don't you bring your car around so we can take a look at it?"

"You got it, sir." Owen was about to run off and fetch the car but was interrupted by his phone ringing. "I've got to answer this, its important!" He said, looking down at his phone. "Do you mind?" He hesitantly asked the older man when he looked up from his phone.

"Go, go. No rush." He said, as he waved him off.

"Thanks. I'll be quick!" Owen shouted, stepping out to take the call.

"He's a good guy." The older man said as soon as he and Letty were left alone. "He better be treating you right."

Letty turned to look at the older man and gave him a knowing look. "Same old Lorenzo, I see. Always looking out for me." She recalled, looking at Lorenzo and taking him in. He was much older than she remembered but nonetheless tall and muscular with those fatherly eyes that never failed to let Letty know he saw her as one of his own and he'd always care for her and look after her. Even after all these years.

"Doesn't matter how old you get, as long as I'm around I'll always look after you, kid." He reminded her.

All Letty could do was nod, not knowing what to say to the only father figure she ever had in her life. Despite her break up with Dom, Letty had stayed in contact with Lorenzo and Mia with phone calls and texts over the years. Mia would visit Letty in New York every now and then, but Letty never had the courage to come back home and visit. The only reason she found herself in California right now was due to a business trip the company had sent her and Owen on. And with her luck, the car the company had provided them with started acting up, leading to Owen asking the receptionist for the best auto shop in town and before she knew it she was standing outside the garage she once knew as " **D.T's Auto Shop.** " But it wasn't like she remembered it. The building she once knew was gone; it was expanded, updated, and remodeled. Not even the name of the place had survived as it was also changed. It was no longer the small, sweaty garage she came to love while growing up. Everything she once remembered it to be was replaced by new and upgraded material. It was a beautiful building, she couldn't deny it, it attracted a wave of customers, she was sure of it, but now all that was left were the memories and moments the place had once given her.

"It's really good to see you back here, mija." Lorenzo told Letty. "How are you?" He asked, searching her face like he always did when she was younger, daring her to lie to him because he could always see right through her. He was good at that. Just like Dom.

"I'll admit it's a little weird being back here. I never thought I'd step foot again in this place to be honest." It was all Letty could say without getting chocked up. Leaving behind the place she called home and the people she called family had hurt her to the core. And leaving the man she'd loved since she was 16 had destroyed her- no matter how they left things off. There was no way she could have faced this place back then. She didn't even know how she was doing it now. It pained her to be in this place, even with all the changes.

"Letty," Lorenzo began, taking a moment to find the right words. "Just because things ended between you and my son didn't mean we stopped being your family. You are still as much part of our family as you were back then. And you have every right to step foot into this garage and visit whenever you want. You may not be Dom's girlfriend anymore but you sure as hell haven't stopped being like a daughter to me. You should know that by now."

"I do, it's just…"

"Hard?" He finished for her. "I understand that it's hard. But it's only hard because you and Dom made it that way. You both took the cowardly way out, you running off and him going back to his old habits of women and booze, instead of sitting down to talk like the two adults you both _already_ were at the time."

Leave it to Lorenzo to lecture her at the age of 32.

Letty leaned her hip against a workstation table and crossed her arms while taking in what she just heard. Had Dom and her really taken the cowardly way out? Or was it just her since she was the one who fled.

"You mean _I_ took the cowardly way out, not him." She corrected him.

"No! Dom did too. He should have dealt with things like a man. Not turned to his old ways of life." Lorenzo argued back, a stern look on his face.

"How…how did you expect him to react after I said 'no' to him?" Letty whispered, unfolding her arms and wringing her hands as she avoided eye contact with Lorenzo.

Lorenzo slowly furrowed his eyebrows. "No? What do you mean you said no?" He asked, confusion present in his voice. "No to what?" He pressured on, not following Letty.

Letty finally looked up at Lorenzo and took a deep breath through her nose. "He proposed." She began. "He proposed and I said no." She sadly admitted, remembering the broken look on Dom's face after she had turned him down.

Dom had proposed to her late one night at the garage. He got down on one knee and said those four words she didn't think she'd hear for another couple of years. _Will you marry me?_ He asked her, a huge grin on his face and his mothers ring in between his thumb and index finger that she had left him long before she passed away.

She wasn't ready. They weren't ready. They were only 22 and 25. Yes, they been dating for the past 6 years but it didn't mean they were ready for marriage. So she said no. The rest of the night was a blur, both of them yelling and talking over each other. Letty trying to explain why it wasn't the right time to get married while Dom accused her of not being serious about their relationship. It went on for hours. Finally, their arguments came to an end but only after some unforgivable words were said. _'Get the hell out!' & 'I never want to see you again!_ were the infamous words that had ended their six beautiful, amazing, adventurous years of a relationship that was the epitome of "Ride or Die." All ending in one small, sweaty garage.

Lorenzo blew some air out of his mouth and rubbed at his baldhead, shocked at what Letty has just confessed. How was it possible that he had never heard the true story of why they had broken up? And how did he not know his son was thinking of proposing back then?

"Wow!" Lorenzo breathes out and takes a seat on a stool across from where Letty is standing. He crosses his arms and stares down at the table as if it were to hold all the answers he is looking for. He then looks up at Letty, still in disbelief, and asks her, "He proposed to you?"

Letty just nodded. She wasn't expecting her reunion with Lorenzo to go this way. Earlier, after the receptionist had written down the address of the shop on a piece of paper, Letty recognized it immediately and ran up to the room saying she 'forgot something' and dialed Lorenzo. She explained her situation and apologized for not letting him know she would be in town, how sorry she was for showing up out of the blue. But Lorenzo didn't care for her excuses, all he cared about was that she was heading his way and he would finally get to see his not-so-little-little girl.

"That changes everything." Lorenzo realized. "It all makes sense now. Why you left and never came back, and why he avoids this garage at all costs." Lorenzo's eyes are fixed on the table as he continues making sense of everything he thought he once knew. Letty takes a seat on one of the stools and they both sit in silence letting everything sink in.

"How…how is," Letty breaks the silence between them, but struggles to speak. "How is he?" She finally spits out, not even able to say _his_ name. When Letty had first left LA, Mia and Lorenzo would give her frequent updates on how Dom was doing, but as the years went on, it slowly died down to the point where he wasn't even brought up anymore. It was what Letty wanted. It was the only way she could move on.

Lorenzo could clearly see Letty was still hurting and it pained him to see that. If only she knew how much Dom was still hurting as well. You couldn't always see it, but he knew it was there. It would forever remain imprinted, on both of them, he was sure of it.

"He's good." Lorenzo responded, not knowing how much he should share with Letty or how much she wants to hear about _him_. When she doesn't say anything, he takes it as a sign that it's ok to continue. "As you know, he went down an old familiar dark path after you left… and it took him a while to recover… but he got his shit together. Took him a couple of years but he did it. He focused on opening the second garage, although now I know why he did it." Lorenzo adds as a second thought. "And now he has plans to open a third garage. Wants to continue expanding the ' **Toretto & Family**' chain. I guess you could say he just threw himself into work and hasn't stopped since." Lorenzo finished, wondering if it was too much of too little to share.

But Letty had a genuine proud smile across her face. "He always talked about expanding your business, it was his dream to do so." She shared with him. It was something Dom would talk to her about all the time. They'd sit on the roof of the place, sipping on Coronas, talking about the future. About how he'd open as many garages as he possibly could and Letty would run them all because she had the brains to do so. They'd be a team. Equal partners. He wanted her at his side when his dreams became a reality. And then he'd tell her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Build their dreams, home, and life together. She was the one for him.

"Was it also his idea to change the name of the business?" She wondered.

"Ah! Yes, it was. I was a bit opposed to changing the name but Dom insisted on it. We were in the middle of remodeling the garage and Dom decided this business was more than just a building I was going to leave to him one day. He said it was a Toretto legacy, a family business. And so **"Toretto & Family" **was born." Lorenzo's mood shifts as he recalls the happy memory with his son.

Letty was about to respond when she heard Owens footsteps approaching her and Lorenzo. His phone was attached to his ear and he had an expression on his face that could only mean he was on hold.

"I brought the car around, sir." Owen says to Lorenzo and hands him the keys before turning his attention to Letty. "Do you mind filling out the paper work, babe? I just have to wrap things up with my dad and update him on what's going on and where he wants to go from there."

"Yeah, no problem." Letty tells him.

"Thanks. Thank you, sir." Owen shouts as he turns around and walks back out to return to his call.

"So that's the famous Owen you've talked to me about, huh? Nice guy, I like him. Might even approve of you two." He teases Letty, earning himself an eye roll and a chuckle. He clearly knows they are only friends and coworkers from what she has told him in the past.

"Would you believe me if I told you I was too nervous on the ride here to tell him where exactly we were heading?" Part of Letty wanted to tell Owen if they could find a different auto shop instead of the one the receptionist recommended, the other part of her told her it was time to come back. That part of her won- her heart. "I actually wanted to tell him where we were as soon as we got out of the car but-"

"Your plan went out the window once you saw the place and realized you were really here?"

"Exactly." Dam, it still amazed Letty how well Lorenzo knew her. "And then he was too interested in what you were saying and he wouldn't shut up for me to at least introduce you two."

"Yeah, that boy can talk. Like really talk." Lorenzo added, lightly joking. "Maybe once he's done with his phone call, you guys can talk things out and let him know where he really is. And maybe, maybe you guys could stop by for dinner tonight. I'm sure Mia would love to see you. It would only be us four?" He hesitantly asked her, unsure if she would even be up for it. "That way we can continue our conversation…and keep catching up on things?"

"I would love that." She simply replied, a smile on her face.

"Yeah?" Lorenzo double-checked.

"Yes!" She confirmed.

"Alright then." Lorenzo drums his fingers on the table and stands up. "I will call Mia and make sure she doesn't have plans for tonight and I will bring back those papers that let you know what we are doing to your vehicle so you can fill them out. I will be right back." Lorenzo said, trying to control the happiness in his face and voice.

Letty watched him go as a nervous excitement started building upon her entire body. She couldn't wait for tonight. Couldn't wait to see Mia. She also couldn't wait for Owen to properly meet Lorenzo and Mia, and for him to finally see a part of what her life was like while growing up. Sure she had been a nervous wreck on her way here and despite believing that she'd never return to this place, she was happy she did.

As Letty continued lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice a black charger pulling into the garage. It wasn't until the driver slammed the car door that she realized she was no longer alone. She turned her head slightly to the left and it was enough for her body to freeze, to go numb, at the sight of _him._

' _He avoids this garage at all costs.' 'Then why the hell is he here?'_ Letty mentally responded to Lorenzo's earlier comment.

 _He_ starts making his way over to where she is sitting, eyes glued to the papers in his hands, oblivious to the fact that he is not alone in the garage. Her heart is racing with every step he takes as he comes closer…closer…closer. As he nears the table, he catches movement and looks up, stopping dead in his tracks and looking directly at her.

Letty slowly stands up, almost afraid that he will disappear. But this isn't some walk down memory lane. No. He is here. And he is real.

Dominic Toretto.

The 6'2, Cuban-Italian man, she had called hers for many years. With those arms that used to wrap around her body and never failed to make her feel safe. With those hands and fingers that had done beautiful and sinful things to her body over and over again. Those eyes that she'd always lose herself in. And those lips that she had kissed an endless amount of times. There he was here. Standing Right. In. Front. Of. Her. His eyebrows furrowed, his eyes slightly narrowed, his lips in a tight line, and his jaw tightened. He wears a black wife beater, cargo pants, and work boots- his everyday work attire, just like the old days.

"Dom-"

"Letty-"

They both breathe out at the same time, his deep baritone voice sending chills down her body. God what that voice _did_ to her. What it had _said_ to her. What it had _promised_ her.

" _You're my trophy."_

" _You gonna stick by me?"_

" _There she is."_

" _I'm here for you."_

" _You make me happy."_

" _Ride or die, remember?"_

" _I love you, Letty, I will always love you."_

And just for a moment, for the tiniest, briefest second, Letty is transported back in time. She is 16 and Dom is 19. Both young and in love and back at **'D.T's Auto shop,'** where she is finally home.


End file.
